English has different ways of expressing the future. It can be expressed with will, going to and the present continuous. However, with predictions and conditional statements, only will and going to can be used.
The following sentence can be expressed in three ways:
I'll visit my grandparents this weekend.
I'm going to visit my grandparents this weekend.
I'm visiting my grandparents this weekend.
However, with predictions only will and going to can be used. It is possible to say It will rain tomorrow and It's going to rain tomorrow. Here the present continuous is not used.
The same is true for conditional sentences. Consider the following examples:
You have to study or you won't get a good grade.
You have to study or you aren't going to get a good grade.
These two sentences are conditional sentences. The first clause states what the listener must do, and the second expresses the result if the listener does not comply. The sentences can be restated with if and then. They then become the following:
If you do not study, you won't get a good grade.
If you do not study, you aren't going to get a good grade.
English can express the future in different ways. The present continuous can be used in many cases. However, with predictions and conditional sentences, the present continuous is not used to express the future.
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